Meet the candidates: Kevin Faulconer

Q: OK it’s Nov. 20, you’ve won the election without the need for a runoff. What’s your first priority?

A: Several. Absolutely, from a financial standpoint, moving forward on managed competition, saving those tax dollars and the bureaucracy, moving forward on the audits. Secondly, getting us back into the infrastructure business, with street repair first and foremost. And, third, focusing on our police department, retaining and recruiting the best and brightest men and women for our police force.

Q: One of the things that has obviously been important to this city is keeping the Chargers in San Diego and to do that clearly we’ll need a new stadium. What is your view of how that can be done and where it should go?

A: We have a real opportunity to make that a reality. And as the next Mayor I’m confident that we will be able to make that work. We have to make sure it’s a good deal for taxpayers, first and foremost, and that will be my guiding principal as we work together as a community with the Chargers to try to accomplish it. The Chargers are a huge San Diego asset. But as somebody who has spent his time on the council making sure that we are fiscally responsible, I’m going to continually do that as we work with the Chargers to find a solution and a solution, one they’ve already said that they intend to take to the voters to allow them to help make a decision on this. I think that’s the right approach. I think all sites should be a possibility.

Q: Is it a regional issue?

A: It’s absolutely a regional issue. The Chargers are a regional asset. You look at the pride that we have as San Diegans in the Chargers, it’s not just people in the city of San Diego. It’s people throughout the other areas. We need them to stay here. That will be one of my goals.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your leadership style. How do you like to work?

A: It’s an inclusive one. And you have to be inclusive to be successful. It can’t be based on partisanship, because then you’re going to be locked into arguments and debates that don’t move the city forward. Working together to achieve common goals is not a bad thing. It’s a good thing. And I think we need more of that in the city of San Diego. That’s what I’ve done since I’ve been on the council. That’s what I’m going to continue to do as mayor. I have strong views and beliefs. And I stand up for those. And I also recognize that to achieve those I have to convince some of my colleagues sometimes to do that, and I will. But you have to bring people along and show them the benefits. Divisiveness has proved not to work in the city and we saw that, particularly in the last nine months.

Q: As a political matter what do you consider your strengths and weaknesses in this campaign?